This invention relates to a swimming pool water circulating system, and more particularly to a strainer mill for the intake of a swimming pool impeller pump.
In a typical swimming pool water circulation system including a rotary impeller pump and a filter, a strainer housing or pot is mounted in the water intake line from the pool to the intake of the pump, and includes a screen or screen basket for straining the leaves and other debris before the water from the swimming pool enters the circulating pump, in order to protect the pump. Finer debris which passes through the strainer screen or basket is safe to pass through the impeller pump, and is subsequently removed in the filter, before the water is returned to the swimming pool. Examples of such strainer pots or baskets are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,312, to Arge, Aug. 28, 1962; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,764, to Whitaker, Jan. 16, 1968; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,201 to Belonger et al, Nov. 24, 1970. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,066, to Howe, May 27, 1947; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,310, to Schnell, Sept. 29, 1959; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,650, to Kilbane, Jr., June 6, 1967.
In all of the above strainer systems, the strainer screen or basket must periodically be removed for discharge of the collected leaves and other debris, or the leaf pot must be flushed, as illustrated in the above Whitaker patent. If the leaves and other debris are left too long in the respective strainer housings, then the circulation of the pool water will be retarded, and the pump will have to work harder and expend unnecessary energy in circulating the pool water.
The following U.S. patents disclose various types of devices, not related to the circulation of swimming pool water, in which perforated plates or grates have been utilized with rotary cutters for comminuting solid particles into small enough particles for discharge through the perforated plaate or grate:
In the Howe U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,066, a flood control system includes a grate for blocking the flow of certain sized solid materials through a by-pass conduit. The grate has parallel elongated slots through which the blades of a rotary cutter move in order to disintegrate the solid materials.
The Schnell U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,310 discloses a comminuting machine for agricultural products, particularly sausage.
The Kilbane, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,650 discloses a marine chlorinator, in which solid materials from a marine toilet are macerated and treated with chlorine before discharge.